WMIA News: February 2018

March 5, 2018

February 2018

President’s Message: How Are We Doing? In the fall of 2017, WMIA conducted a member survey to measure your level of satisfaction with the benefits and service you derive from your WMIA membership, and the overall value of your membership experience. We used the same questions we utilized in the last survey we conducted in May 2015; doing so provided us a benchmark against which to measure the results from this year’s survey. WMIA President Larry Hoffer shares some of the feedback the Association received from members, how it compares with feedback received in 2015, and how the Board and staff are using this input. Read more of Larry’s message.

Register for WIC 2018 Before March 30 and Save $200! We’re just about two months away from WIC 2018, to be held May 1-4, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa in Maui, Hawaii. Whether you’re looking to expand your distributor network, identify new machine lines to sell, or understand what is on the horizon in the industry, WIC provides the perfect forum, in a relaxed, non-competitive setting. If you register for WIC by March 30, you’ll save $200 over regular registration rates! Take the first step and register by visiting the WIC registration page. (You must have your user name and password to register; please let us know if you need that information.) Hotel rooms are becoming limited on certain days, so if you haven’t made your reservation, you might want to do so shortly. Use the special WIC 2018 reservations link to do so. The special conference rate is good for three days prior and three days following the conference, as long as rooms are available! (Please note: Given the number of people planning to arrive at the hotel prior to WIC and/or stay after, we often have to add more rooms to our block. If you experience any difficulties booking a room, or if the hotel website says rooms aren’t available on a particular day from April 28-May 8, there are still rooms available. Please contact Larry Hoffer ASAP, and he’ll contact the hotel.) Check out the conference website for information about the schedule, speakers, contact tables, and optional activities, including golf and volleyball tournaments, a tour to Maui Tropical Plantation, a Lahaina Shopping Shuttle trip for spouses, and the annual 5K Run/Walk.

IWF Offers Two Webinars to Help You Enhance Your Exposure and Success: IWF is offering WMIA members two webinars to provide ideas and avenues for your company to enhance its exposure during the 2018 show, August 22-25, 2018. Participation in either or both of the webinars is free, and as many staff as you wish can participate. The Marketing & Sponsorship webinar will showcase current offerings and allow your company to learn about opportunities to ensure success leading up to, during, and post-IWF. The webinar will be held Wednesday, March 14, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET. To participate, visit https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/378978509 approximately 15 minutes before the webinar. In the IWF Show App webinar, IWF vendor Map Your Show will give a tutorial view of the capabilities of the IWF Show App and the opportunity for your company to gain more exposure. This webinar will be held Wednesday, April 11, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET. To participate, visit https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2271439679150491137 approximately 15 minutes before the webinar.

Re-Introducing…WoodworkingTechnology.com! WMIA’s Marketing Committee is proud to present the recently revamped WoodworkingTechnology.com website. This website will serve as a key element of an upcoming marketing campaign geared at promoting the value of investing in new equipment and technology to a company’s bottom line. We feel this website will serve as an online “buyer’s guide,” and it will be a valuable tool for industry customers performing online searches for woodworking machines. While initially it will serve this purpose only, it has the potential to evolve into much more, especially as an outreach opportunity to connect with customers beyond sales. The opportunity to list your company and its machines is free to all WMIA members. You have two options: linking your company’s page directly to your own website, or including company information (logo, images, special offers, etc.). Please complete this registration form to begin getting your company page up and running, and providing pertinent search criteria. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Jeff Linder at jlinder@wmia.org or 571-279-8342.

Machine Solutions Receives Biesse’s 2.0 Distributor of the Year Award:WMIA member Machine Solutions of Jasper, Indiana, was recently presented with Biesse’s 2.0 Distributor of the Year award at the company’s world headquarters in Pesaro, Italy. Biesse America Vice President of Distribution Mike Johnson noted that the 2.0 Distributor award is no longer based solely on sales. It is now a 360-degree evaluation of a distributor’s efforts in market coverage, sales intelligence, events and demos, sales growth and product mix. “Machine Solutions received the highest overall rating and was a deserving winner of this year’s Distributor 2.0 award,” Johnson said. Machine Solutions also recently moved into a new 10,000-square-foot facility with a strong emphasis on automation. The heavy concentration of high-volume producers in the area has warranted a showroom focused on Industry 4.0 solutions. Congratulations to the company and its owner (and WMIA Board member), Rick Braun.

Meet More Lucky Scholarship Winners: As reported in previous issues of WMIA News, WMIA’s Educational Foundation awarded scholarships to 23 students in 2017.We’ll continue introducing you to some of the winners in subsequent issues.

Sam Galliart, Pittsburg State University, Hutchinson, KS: I returned to Pittsburg State this fall in pursuit of a Master of Science degree in technology. I have spent my time in school trying to absorb as much knowledge as I can about the wood industry in order to better prepare myself for a future career. Pittsburg State and internships have played a vital role in my development. I am very thankful for all of the industry support that is given to the Wood Technology program here at PSU. This program would not be the same without it. I look forward to continuing my education and would like to say a big thank you to WMIA for the honor of being named a recipient of this scholarship!

Marianne Ganzer, New England School of Architectural Woodworking, Westhampton, MA: My affection for woodworking dates to early childhood summers spent at my grandparents’ home in Blue Island, IL. My grandmother took me to the local lumber yard where I was allowed to scrounge through the cut off bins. We’d return home and I’d set up on my grandfather’s basement workbench and “have at it.” I graduated high school in three years’ time in order to attend the Chicago School of Violin Making from which I graduated three years later. I worked for the next 36 years repairing and restoring instruments of the violin family. I recently decided to expand my love of woodworking beyond the limitations imposed by hand tool skills alone. At long last I’m taking the plunge to learn competency with woodworking machinery, enrolling at NESAW. I thank WMIA for choosing me as a scholarship recipient. I hope, and plan, to do us all proud.

Jose Leos, Pittsburg State University, Houston, TX: I migrated to the United States with my mom and my brother when I was nine years old. It wasn’t easy being away from the only family I had. My passion toward wood began in high school where I took a wood shop class, and I had a very supportive teacher, Johnny Brooks, who supported me through it all. After I graduated high school he encouraged me to pursue a wood technology degree and to become a rock star in the wood industry when I had no financial help to start with. I really do appreciate this help I am getting towards my education. This is great step in achieving my goal, which is graduating with honors. Thanks to your generous support, I am the first in my family to attend college.

WINS 2018 Was a Winner! The 2018 Wood Industry Networking & Snowsports (WINS) event was held January 26-29, at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City, UT. It was by far the best-attended WINS yet! Thirty-seven people attended one part or another, and we had 10 companies sponsoring 10 different networking events including breakfasts at the hotel, lunches and après ski on the mountain, and dinners at some terrific restaurants in Salt Lake City. All three of those numbers are records, easily eclipsing the previous events. Another first for this year was that each day we had a networking topic-of-the-day. Vignettes and pointers were shared at dinner, then we voted, and the person who had the most useful information won a free lift pass for the following day. Congratulations to Patti Minialoff (King), David Spencer, and doubly to Adam Lopuk…he won twice! Special thanks to all the companies who helped financially by sponsoring networking events: Wood Industry Media, Stiles Machinery, SCM, John Henderson and Company, Woodworking Network, James L. Taylor Manufacturing, Scarlett Machinery, Royce//Ayr, Super Thin Saws, Black Bros., and Colonial Saw. See you for WINS 2019!!

December Housing Report: Virginia Tech, Virginia Cooperative Extension, in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, produces a monthly housing report. These reports contain in-depth data and comments on the U.S. housing market and are intended to help gauge future business activity. You can view Part 1, the main report, and Part 2, the economic conditions. The reports are intended to help you gauge future business activity. All past housing reports are archived at http://woodproducts.sbio.vt.edu/housing-report/.